Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then they also who are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
- KJV Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
- BSB Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
- NASB Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
- NLT In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Without the resurrection, those who died trusting Christ have perished. It matters because Christian hope for the dead depends entirely on the resurrection.
Overview
Paul continues the chain of grim consequences: if there is no resurrection, believers who have died are lost, not asleep awaiting glory. The comforting language of 'fallen asleep' would be a cruel illusion. The argument makes clear that resurrection hope is the only ground for confidence about those who die in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Th 4:13–14But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
- 1 Th 4:16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first,
- 1 Cor 15:6Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep.
- Rev 14:13I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 15:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.